We are the makers of subcultures. Of all our communities, where are we the happiest? As a Southern journalist, Dianne Poston Owens has learned a thing or two about people and community-that people want to know their lives matter, their pets won't rat them out, and that they are not alone. As an observer and recorder of people, places and things, she understands that every day is a new day, and each day is played out in tandem and in gathering. Gathering: Homespun Essays from Beech Tree Lane is a collection of short essays intended to be read for inspiration and encouragement. Owens poses questions and offers photographs that allow readers the opportunity to reflect and pause before forging ahead. Written with charming wit, Southern twang and a deepness that is drawn out by nature, Owens explores what we see, say, and choose, and how we connect to the people we interact within the "communities" in which we gather.